Hi all. Drove my Up in the rain a few days ago and parked it in the garage. Went to take it out this morning and the rear brakes are totally seized. The car won't move neither back or forward. Unfortunately garage is two floors below street level so getting a tow truck in there is nigh on impossible. Beginning to deeply regret buying a VW as I understand this is an issue with the UP. I thought I was buying quality.

This seems to be a common problem and my own car suffers from this 'trait'. I now, where possible, just leave the car in gear and only lightly pull on the handbrake (a couple of clicks). In my level driveway, I don't engadge the handbrake at all...

Perhaps the salty sea air in Malta exacerbates the issue, when the rear shoes get wet.

Hi all and thank you for your advice. Mechanic came over, took the wheels off and gave the drums a hard tap with a mallet which finally freed them. I then took the car for a long drive, occasionally gently lifting the handbrake a couple of times to remove any residual corrosion. I will avoid driving in wet conditions (ridiculous to own a car that I can't enjoy in the rain) and park with the handbrake on two clicks.

AA mechanic advised me to always reverse 6 inches or so when moving off after parked all night as it seems to free sticky brakes shoes without that 'clunk'

Not sure how the mechanism is put together in the UP, but if you reverse with the handbrake off and the pads stuck to the drum, you can hear what sounds like spring flexing from the back of the car. It definitely sounds 'better' when they free off with the car moving forward. If I was a betting person, I'd say there is some compatibility issue with the metals in the drum/pad combination used. The rear end of my car was seized nearly every morning last winter, I just left it parked in gear on a flat drive.

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot create polls in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum

We use cookies to improve your experience on this website and so that ads you see online can be tailored to your online browsing interests. We use data about you for a number of purposes explained in the links below. By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of data and cookies.
|